Prince's 'Planet Earth' offers tepid, not torrid bedroom grooves

Sunday

Jul 29, 2007 at 12:01 AM

Prince, "Planet Earth" (Columbia)

RYAN LENZ

Prince, "Planet Earth" (Columbia)

If Prince's planet once was a bedroom infused with high-intensity sex, music that bordered the sublime and grooves infectious enough to keep the globe turning, "Planet Earth" may as well be the flip-side of the moon.

The album opens with an eco-friendly title track to preach the virtues of protecting Mother Nature and ends with "Revelation," a melodic ode to peace in a time of war. Mixed within is a smattering of forgettable R&B ballads that even when skirting bedroom material — as they often do — still fall short of being gems.

"Future Baby Mama" and "Mr. Goodnight" drip with slow and heavy bass, but seem weighted by bland lyrics that teeter on arousal. With a monotone rap Prince moans, "All over the world, they call me Prince, but you can call me Mr. Goodnight."

Since becoming a Jehovah's Witnesses in 2001, the Purple One has turned his back on Erotic City in favor of a milder approach. That faith in God seeps through to "Planet Earth," too.

"Lion of Judah" is a mystic ballad infused with thick religious imagery that drags past the four-minute mark. But with verses that follow a two-note melody, the song seems more like a mantra than a hit. It promises only the musical doldrums for anyone strong enough to hear it through.

Maybe releasing "Planet Earth" quickly on the heels of "3121" makes it feel more like a notebook of passed-over songs than a 21st-century watermark for a pop icon. Where is the innovation? Or the artful seduction?

What's most frustrating is that the album contains glimpses of greatness.

"Chelsea Rodgers," a high-paced funk jam about a hip, sexy woman, guarantees from the first bar to the last to get everyone up and moving.

On "Planet Earth," unfortunately, there's just not enough of that kind of funk.

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